according.to.kim

Skating in the sun

We arrived home at 1:30 today from Madeline's ringette tournament in Saskatoon. We had an excellent weekend which involved great highway conditions, swimming, visiting my Grandma B, eating at Fuddruckers, going to a scrapbooking store, hanging out with nice people, and Madeline's team winning the last of their four games. The Spitfires have been playing super hard over the past month and they deserve it!

This afternoon, Georgia went to a birthday party where she was going skating in the birthday girl's backyard. The rest of us decided to take advantage of this gorgeous day, as well, so we went skating at an ice surface a couple blocks from our house. I enjoy putting on my skates once in awhile -- especially for some sunny outdoor skating.

We just had a few cold days (in the -20s), but it looks like our beautiful weather is back. High of -1 today and the forecast is looking great! Best. Winter. Ever. :)

Sunday morning sunrise

I took this picture yesterday morning. The squirrels are unusually active this winter because of the incredibly warm weather we've been having. Today's forecast is for a record-setting high of 7C. Crazy! It looks like our normal winter temps will arrive later this week, though.

Picture the Holidays II (25-27)

This magic moment: I didn't take this picture for the prompt, and it certainly isn't "off the beaten path" (it's just the first photo I snapped Christmas morning, and the colour was terrible, hence the B&W), so I debated whether to use it or not. But, this moment -- opening their gifts from Santa -- is still full of magic for my children, so it fits perfectly.

The day after: Our stockings and some gift-wrapping items we'll use again. I enjoy putting away the remnants of Christmas. Our tree is still up, but I'll have it down before January 1! I won't start a new year with this task unfinished.

A breath of fresh air: When I noticed the sun came out this afternoon, I immediately ran out to the park to take some pictures. I was quite surprised to see it today as the sky was completely overcast this morning. It seems like we haven't seen the sun very much this month.

Black & white

I took this picture enroute to Avonlea last weekend as it was was the only opportunity I had to work on The Art of Composition. I used the visor mirror which created a soft frame on three sides, and I processed the photo with the Pioneer Woman action, B&W Beauty (which provides more contrast than just removing the colour). I'd sure like to spend more time on the assignments for TAOC, but it seems I have little time during daylight hours! These days are already too short and we're still six weeks from the solstace. I knew the timing of this class in the fall would present a challenge.

Neil's sister Shauna came from Edmonton for a short visit this past weekend. On Saturday, we went to Avonlea for an early Christmas dinner with Donna and Lou before they go to Texas for the winter. Grandma Louise, Ron, Carol, Laurel, and Bronwyn were there, too. Ron and Carol showed us some of their photos from a recent trip to China. Later, as 10 pm approached, we decided to stay overnight even though we hadn't planned to. I didn't feel like driving at that point and the girls wanted to stay. It was good to visit a bit more in the morning since we won't see Donna and Lou for several months.

Sunday morning, there was quite a blanket of snow on the ground -- our first snowfall of the season! I only say that with excitement because it's very unusual to have our first snow so late (November 6). (We heard on the news: "There has only been six times in the last 125 years Regina hasn't had snow in September or October." Snowless Regina rare in November) The highways were bad and it was a slow trip back to Regina.

Both Madeline and Sophia played ringette games on Sunday. Madeline was the goalie for her team for the first time. She was very eager to play goal. They didn't win (9-6), but Madeline played quite well! (Especially after one referee coached her on getting the ring out of the crease within 5 seconds.) Sophia had a good game also, though her team lost by 1 point in the last 20 seconds (9-8). It was an exciting game to watch! She played forward and scored two goals -- her third game in row with goals and assists. I think she may be earning a forward position (which is what she wants). We'll see.

I'm so looking forward to having four days off work this weekend! And the best part: three of those days are mostly free of outside commitments. I really NEED this. There are so many things I need to catch up on; my sanity depends on it.

Halloween festivities + Nov 1

October 29: This year's Halloween festivities included a party at Madeline's friend Lauren's farm on Saturday night. (The same farm where the girls and I attended a Halloween party last year.) All three girls were invited, so after a bottle drive for Sophia's ringette team, the home Rider game (Neil attended), Sophia's ringette practice, and Madeline's ringette game (Madeline is playing very well!), we all returned to our house briefly so the girls could put on costumes for the party. (I should mention that Georgia and Dash were in Laurel and Bronwyn's care for the whole afternoon.) Sophia dressed as a fashionable shadow (more on that later), Madeline as a gypsy (a costume from my childhood), and Georgia as a cowgirl (pink hat, plaid shirt, jeans, boots, and a rope). Arriving about 7:30, we had missed most of the party, but we stayed for a couple of hours and had a good time.

October 30: Sunday evening, Neil spent a few hours carving pumpkins with some help from the girls. We were lucky to get three big pumpkins for free this year. They were grown by a family friend at Avonlea. Meanwhile, I washed and cut fruit for Madeline's classroom Halloween party, and Sophia (with a little help from me) made cookies for her class: Monster's Toes. The recipe was on the back of the Maynard's candy box. I don't think they're great tasting cookies, but they did look neat and Sophia enjoyed making them and sharing them with her class.

October 31: The girls' school is one of very few that still allow costumes at school, so they had their annual costume parade at 1:00 pm. I'm glad Neil and Georgia were able to go and take some pictures as I wasn't able to go this year. Madeline dressed as a veterinarian. She wore a very old (and much too large) lab coat, her real stethoscope, and carried some stuffed animals that she had bandaged up.

The girls had a great evening of trick or treating. They were out for about 90 minutes and brought home a ridiculous amount of candy, of course. As usual, Neil stayed home to hand out treats (and try to keep Dash calm), while I went out with the girls. Sophia's friend, Meghan, and Madeline's friend, Mattea, joined us. Mattea's dad also supervised with me. The weather was great -- about 4 or 5 C, and best of all, no snow! For trick or treating, Madeline dressed as a skeleton pirate (a great costume I purchased on discount at The Children's Place several years ago). The girls ran from house to house, with the older two and Georgia in the lead (G had no problem keeping up with Sophia and Meghan, even with cowboy boots on!), and Madeline and Mattea trailing by one or two houses.

Madeline only decided to be a pirate about an hour before trick or treating. Mostly, she had wanted to be a zombie ringette player this year, but we weren't in favour of her wearing her ringette equipment for Halloween (and, besides, she IS a ringette player). Georgia had wanted to be a vampire until Saturday when she came up with the cowgirl idea. Sophia, too, had had some costume plan changes. Originally, she wanted to be a glass of water but we didn't do anything about it soon enough. On Tuesday, I asked her to think of a plan B. After some thought and negotiating, she agreed to be Cleopatra using a costume I made years ago. We bought a black wig for her to wear with it. A couple days later, she came up with the idea of a fashionable shadow which I thought was cute and clever. She wore all black clothes, black wig, black cap, and carried a black cat (Webkinz) in a black purse.

November 1: The kids had no school today, and Neil had another four children in his care (Bronwyn, Ainsley, Henry, and Jimmy). After Jimmy went home mid-afternoon, Neil took the remaining kids to the Science Centre to see the Titanic Exhibit. (He can't transport more than 6.) Our girls had already been there but they wanted to see it again. Our family membership for the Science Centre really helps!

This evening, Neil and Madeline took Georgia to her dance class, while I took Sophia to her ringette game. Sophia scored the first goal and had a nice assist for her team, but they lost 10-5 (vs BP White). She was extra happy tonight because I finally broke down and bought her ringette pants on the weekend. She was the only one left on her team wearing hockey pants and socks (which were full of holes), so I couldn't hold out any longer. Immediately after the game, Neil and all three girls went to the Pats game because they received four free tickets today. And I was able to go home alone, which is what made this blog post possible!

PI 31/52: Extreme crop

I found this prompt a little more difficult than I thought I would, but I like how this picture of echinacea turned out. The blue tones in the background were a pleasant surprise when I looked at the picture on my computer; I don't even know how that happened! The next photo is the top of a corn stalk. The third one I shot pretty tight, but cropped it even further on the computer.

I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted. Where has the past week gone? It sure went fast, anyway. Let's see:

• ringette camp. Ended on Thursday. It was my birthday and Madeline had dance after ringette, so we ate supper quickly at home and then went to DQ for treats before camp.
• work work. We're in a major crunch time, so I don't have time to blog (or anything else) over my lunch break like I used to. And I worked Friday, so my weekend was shorter than usual.
• BSS work. I prepared the next two weeks of content, and made a big decision (more on that later), and started making those changes (it's now free if you're interested!).
• Rider game. Not for me, but for the whole rest of my family. It was the first time Neil was able to take all three girls to the game. Too bad it was so terrible! "Not even one high five."
• Aunt Bev. Saturday afternoon, I visited my aunt who's recovering from surgery. It was a nice coincidence that my mom was there at the same time.
• iPad 2. I bought an iPad on Saturday (using an interest- free personal technology loan from work) and spent some time loading apps, etc. LOVE! Especially instagram!
• yard work. I worked in the back yard on Sunday for three hours and it was very hot out (30C ish). It looks so much better now. :)

Now, I'm off to work... and looking forward to Georgia's kindergarten welcome program/liturgy tomorrow morning, The Art of Composition starting tomorrow, and Crop & Create Saskatoon this weekend. Very fun stuff! (Less fun: packing and a dental appointment for me between now and then.)

PI 29/52: Where I stand

Where I stand, there's no end to the number of things that need to be done. Sunday afternoon I painted the bathroom wall and a piece of trim (MDF) so we could reinstall the towel bar and hooks. The towel bar and one of two hooks had (in separate incidents) become detached from the wall -- taking a bunch of the wall with them. Lovely. About six coats of compound later, we decided we needed a better way to secure the bar and hooks, so we screwed the board to the wall (to three studs) and then attached the towel bar and hooks to that. They aren't going anywhere now!

It looks and feels (in more ways than one) like Fall has arrived. The weather turned chilly this week. We went from six days of 30C+ weather to 18, and then 12. We had to cover our tomatoes overnight for the first time this year.

Our full calendar is another reminder that Fall is here (essentially). We've been super busy this month, and I can't believe it's the 15th already.

Sophia is running in cross country again this year. She's been to a few practices and two of four multi-school meets. She's doing very well, placing 9th last Thursday and 3rd today. Dozens compete (more than 75, I think), so it's quite an accomplishment to place in the top 10!

Sophia and Madeline have been to ringette conditioning camp nine of 12 times already. It ends next week on the 22nd, and then we'll have a week or two break before evaluations begin. (Yay!) Madeline also participated in the Come Try Ringette event last Saturday. Happily, her name was drawn for a new stick so we don't have to buy one for her. Sophia won a stick at the same event last year.

Irish dance lessons started this week for all three girls. This is Georgia's first year and she's very excited to finally have her turn! She's been waiting her whole life. This is Sophia's 7th year and Madeline's 5th. We'll be heading to the dance studio four times a week this year: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Ack! It's Madeline's first year of hard shoe, and she has separate classes for soft shoe and hard shoe. Sophia's soft shoe and hard shoe lessons are back-to-back.

Sophia is also taking piano lessons which is just once a week, thankfully. It hasn't been easy to get her to practice the past three weeks with the fantastic weather we were having and being so busy with ringette camp. I hope we can get her into an acceptable routine with this. She wanted to continue with piano this year, so she needs to put some effort into it! We've already decided this will be her last year in piano as she can participate in band at school next year.

In summary, Georgia has one activity, Madeline has two, and Sophia has three, plus cross-country in September and track in May. Sophia seems to need more organized activities, so I think this is fine for her, but she also has much more homework than ever before -- which is challenging for all of us! I spent a full hour helping her with homework this evening, and we didn't even finish. She'll have to finish it before her 8:00 am cross-country practice tomorrow.

PI 28/52: She's got legs

"She" is a Concha Y Toro Xplorador Carmanere 2010, and she's good. Thanks to Neil for this interpretation of the prompt!

My long-legged 5-year old. I like the movement, light, and line in this picture, and how it offers a glimpse of the super summer weather we're having. Tuesday to Saturday this week: 30, 31, 32, 31, 32 C. I love it! (Unfortunately, I have to endure A/C most of these days!)

And speaking of legs, we bought this at Liquidation World the other day. What a difference an extra four square feet of counter space makes! And, having a place where the children can see what's going on without shoving each other out of the way: priceless. (It was a bargain, too!)

Thunderhead

We saw this amazing thunderhead tonight after the girls' ringette conditioning camp. I couldn't resist getting a picture (from the Walmart parking lot) and sharing it.

We have been so busy this week (and it's only Tuesday!) with all three girls starting school, the older girls starting ringette camp, and me starting my new job, I feel like I haven't had a moment to spare. Well, this was it, I guess! I'm off to bed now so I can happily tackle the rest of this week (which doesn't slow down at all) and hopefully be able to write more about these new adventures we're having. :)

PI 26/52: Back to basics

I decided to share three photos for Picture Inspiration this week. I took the photo above specifically for the prompt (we have a wonderful crop of garden tomatoes this year -- yum!), and the other two are from our trip to Yellow Grass on Saturday. They struck me as "back to basics" as well.

A basic childhood pleasure. I love how you can really see the big weed seeds in the air. So much easier to photograph than dandelion seeds! And below, some of my parents' bison herd. I don't usually crop my photos into unusual dimensions, but I really wanted to zero in on the cow-calf pairs and eliminate the fence in the foreground. I also applied the Pioneer Woman Heartland action. I think it turned out pretty cool.

I got up a little earlier today. I was laying there wide awake anyway. I know it's because I have only two days left in Marketing at Head Office and it seems a bit surreal. I was thinking of all the things I need to do today and tomorrow at work, including getting my office completely packed up.

The past week or two have been full, and I'm feeling behind on my blog posts. I know it's not a life requirement but I do pressure myself to capture what's happening. I have a terrible memory for details and a very strong desire not to lose them. This is my record! Anyhow, I can't cover everything I've missed today, but I want to mention a few things.

Georgia had her ears pierced last Wednesday! She had been wanting this for a few months and I told her we'd do it when she was the same age Madeline was when she had her ears pierced -- right before kindergarten. Georgia chose cute Hello Kitty studs. You can see them in the picture above. She was very quiet and sat perfectly still while her ears were pierced one at a time. She has been great about making sure her ears get cleaned with the antiseptic three times a day, and they look very healthy. When I turn her earrings, I say her kitties are doing somersaults. :) I should mention also that shortly after her ears were pierced and while the Claire's lady was explaining the care routine to me, I started feeling faint. I had to sit down on the ear-piercing chair and take my jacket off. I don't know why this happened; I wasn't even thinking about it in detail, and there was no blood at all. Embarassing!

The girls are enjoying their last two free weeks before school starts. Madeline's friend Mattea has asked her over for a few playdates. Sophia had a sleepover at Meghan's house last night. All three are spending lots of time outdoors playing with Zoe and Nadia on our street. It has been very nice to have these playmates so close (sadly, Zoe is moving in a few days). Plus, the weather has been great. We were truly blessed with a beautiful summer this year. The girls have been able to run through the sprinkler the past two days.

Yesterday, all three girls went to the dentist for a cleaning and check up. Neil had to take them on his own this time. I usually go, but I was unable to get an appointment when the girls had no school and I was off. Neil and I are going next Friday morning when all the kids will be in school. Happily, Sophia and Madeline's teeth were free of cavities. I have to make an orthodontist appointment for Madeline as her top teeth are very misaligned. (Sophia will have her 4th or 5th ortho checkup in October, too.) Also, Georgia needs to go to the pediatric dentist because she has three cavities. Boo.

I'm bracing myself for the onslaught of school and activities, and anxious to get the new calendar updated for the school year. I have numerous messages in my inbox with date information, and I feel uncomfortable until it's out there where everyone can see it. This will be a top priority for this weekend, as well as labeling the girls' school supplies. I can't wait to get them out of our house! The girls drive me crazy with things like this because they can't stop touching them and spreading them all over the place.

Well, it's time to get going to work. I still want to write about the past two weekends, but it likely won't happen until this weekend. This evening, I'm planning to make Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake for my last "cookie club" coffee break tomorrow. Thanks to Pinterest, it took me about five seconds to decide what I want to make!

The rest of my staycation

I went back to work on Monday after my glorious week off (10 days in total). I loved my vacation time! The weather was fabulous. I loved being at home and doing whatever I felt like doing most of the time. And, of course, I loved crossing a few things off my to-do list. For me, it was a great balance of productivity and play. Here's a recap of some of the things we did after the girls returned from Camp Monahan (aside from regular housework, BSS work, etc.)

Thursday morning, Sophia and I made Dill Pickle Spears. I think they turned out well, but Sophia doesn't care for the taste of the vinegar. She LOVES garlic dill pickles, but these weren't quite right for her (the white wine vinegar, perhaps?). Maybe we'll add more sugar next time or try another recipe; they were very easy to make.

Later on Thursday, all three girls had an annual check-up with our family doctor. They're all doing fine and growing well. (Georgia also began a 24-hour Holter Monitor today so the pediatric cardiologist will have the results at her heart checkup in January.) That evening, we went to Boston Pizza for supper as Neil had a gift card to use (it was a thank you gift for his lunch supervision at school). The girls were excited to eat out as we hadn't eaten out at all in July (making up for some extra eating-out expenses in June).

On Friday afternoon, we all went shopping for school supplies. It was our first time buying supplies for all three. The girls were full of eager anticipation for this event. Before we went out, we "shopped" our house for supplies that could be reused. Georgia is quite happy to use things we already had (for example, she'll use Madeline's scissors and Sophia's backpack from last school year), while Sophia is quite a bit less willing to reuse (which frustrates me!).

We purchased the majority of school supplies at Walmart, Staples, and Costco this year. There were some great deals such as duotangs for 10 cents (we needed 24) and 200-sheet packs of loose leaf for 25 cents. Shoes were purchased at Winners, the Bay, and Payless. Finally, two new t-shirts for each girl from The Children's Place (less than $7/shirt). They all selected a t-shirt that says "Best Sister Ever" with an arrow to their own head. And all three wore it to their first day of K4J Vacation Bible Camp on Monday. :)

After shopping, we picked up the girls' packed bags and drove them to Corinne. Lou met us there and took the girls to Avonlea to spend two nights with their grandparents. We needed a babysitter on Saturday, so this worked very well for us. As always, the girls had a great time out there. They went for a hike in the hills, swimming at Dunnet, and sewed some potholders with their grandma.

On Saturday, Neil went golfing with friends, which is something he hasn't done for years. They golfed at Flowing Springs and had to take a long break while waiting for a severe thunderstorm to roll through. Meanwhile, I was alone for much of the day. So unusual! I listened to scrapbooking podcasts, and worked on July pictures and a series of scrapbook pages I had started in May 2010. (Photos to follow in a separate post.)

I also registered for The Art of Composition this weekend. Pricey, yes, but I see it as an investment in knowledge I'll use for the rest of my life. (I was glad to get a $20 discount as a member of Picture Inspiration, though.) I'm really looking forward to this workshop!

Saturday evening, Neil and I went to the home of our friends, Derek and Lisa, in Pilot Butte. There were about a dozen people there (and no kids, except the host couple's baby). We had a delicious steak supper, and I really enjoyed visiting with Lisa and Karla, whom I hadn't seen for a very long time.

Sunday was painting day. I painted the front door while Neil created and painted a cruise ship to be used in a skit at the K4J VBS this week (Neil is helping with props and stage set-up all week long). They both turned out well! I used the "Exotic Grass" paint that I used to paint one wall of our dining room in 1997. I had wanted to paint this door green for years! So glad I finally did this. What took me so long?

Also on Sunday, Neil picked up the girls at Corinne, and my mom and Buffy (her dog) came over to visit for a little while. The girls and I needed to go to a few stores on the east side, so Mom came with us. Sophia also had captain's training (she's a K4J captain) and a playdate at Meghan's house, before and after our shopping excursion, respectively.

Camp Monahan

Arrival: We took Sophia and Madeline to Mini Camp on Sunday afternoon. It was very hot out, with the humidex around 39C when we dropped them off. When we hauled their things up to their tent (a bit of an uphill hike), it was unbearably hot inside. One minute in the tent and I was drenched. We met their counselor, Hadley, and she said they could change and go to the pool right away. The girls didn't waste any time getting their suits on! We took them down to the pool and they were happy as clams. I could scarcely get a "goodbye" out of them. It's a good thing I got my hugs back at the tent site! Since it was so hot out, and Georgia hadn't been to the camp before (she wasn't with us when we went to the open house), we let her wade into the lake water for a few minutes. She loved it! The third shot below is a glimpse of the camp fire area.

Departure: When we picked up the girls Wednesday evening, their counselor told us, "They were both super helpful and enthusiastic about everything. I hope I see them back next year." That was great to hear! Not so great to hear was, "One of their tent-mates had head lice." Ick. As a result, all of their belongings had been taken to Fort Qu'Appelle to be washed and/or frozen. That meant the girls were stuck with what they were wearing for a couple days, and they were thoroughly checked for lice (only the child with lice was treated). On the bright side (from the girls' point of view), they got to sleep in the first aid building on beds one night -- rather than in their sleeping bags on plywood. (The supply list did not include a bed roll, so we didn't send any. We will next time!) I think the camp handled the situation well and prevented an outbreak. I also checked our girls when we got home and they appear to be lice free. Thank goodness.

Sophia and Madeline LOVED Camp Monahan. When asked what their favourite part was, the answer is, "Everything!" They enjoyed swimming in the pool, canoeing, crafting, playing active games, and eating in the dining hall. It sounds like they even enjoyed washing their own dishes! (Wish that would transfer to home, but I know it won't!) They made some new friends, too. Sophia wrote down their names and phone numbers. They had wonderful weather. It was sunny and hot the whole time, except for one rain shower, I think. When we picked up the girls, I managed to get some location photos: "Inland" is where the girls sleep, six girls to a tent. Sophia and Madeline were lucky to be placed in the same tent (it's what they wanted, but we didn't know if that would happen). I also got a shot of the inside of the craft hall before we left. We paid $6 for a photo CD to be sent to us and I look forward to seeing the photos taken during the Mini Camp.

Our broken tree

Extremely high winds during a thunderstorm on Friday night (July 29) caused much damage to many trees around our city, and one of our own huge spruce trees was hit hard. (The trunk is 6 feet 8.5 inches in circumference (25.6" in diameter), so I think that qualifies as huge.) The top half broke right off and fell mostly into our neighbour's yard. In the process, it sheered off the top and all branches on one side of a poplar tree, pulled down a power line, and crumpled our chain link fence. Fortunately, no other property was damaged. We have many more things in our yard that could have been broken, so we're lucky. And our neighbour is beyond lucky because the tree fell right in front of her and she wasn't harmed at all. They had been outside moving vehicles from the street to their garage. We're so thankful no one was hurt.

This happened around midnight, and we weren't even aware of it until the next morning. Neil and I had been in the basement watching TV and scrapbooking. I had heard something, but when I went to investigate, I didn't see anything but the storm itself. The next morning when I stepped out the back door, our neighbour called over, "Did you see what happened to your tree?" I hadn't because the damage wasn't noticable from the back step without looking up.

Neil soon began cutting the branches into smaller pieces to start clearing them. Our tree had two tops on it and one of them was 11.5 inches in diameter where Neil cut it, so it was a pretty sizeable trunk where it broke off. We think the split of the double top had been weakened at some point because both sides of the split were covered with a thick layer of sap. The two broken ends of the tree were in our yard:

Here's what remains of the tree from a few different angles:

Neil working on clearing the branches. The third picture below shows what's left of the poplar tree in our neighbour's yard.

Our crumpled fence. The final picture shows the tree laying across our neighbour's yard and resting on a power line.

PI 22/52: Finding our tribe

I took this photo in the park on Monday evening. I'm so glad I ran across a similar photo from last summer which inspired me to get this photo for "finding our tribe." Dash is on the left.

The girls having been having a fun week. Neil took them (including B) swimming at the Sandra Schmirler on Monday, bowling at the Golden Mile on Tuesday, and to PlayEscapes (-B) on Wednesday afternoon. There were several other kids there that they know. This afternoon, Georgia enjoyed a playdate at Henry's house. The girls have also been playing with Zoe (neighbour) at every opportunity.

The girls' swimming lessons end tomorrow. I look forward to going along on their last day. Neil says he's going to miss swimming lessons because he gets to sit and read all morning. (He's enjoying the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson.) All three are doing quite well so I'm sure they'll pass. They won't have swimming lessons again until next summer.

Sophia and Madeline are super excited about going to camp in a few days. They have already started packing, but we will spend quite a bit of time this weekend making sure they have everything they need and that it's all labeled. The list of supplies they require is quite long! The weather looks great for their camp days -- sunny and hot. I don't think they'll be cold at night, but I hope they don't get any severe storms!

I'm off work now until August 8th! Woohoo! And, other than driving the girls to and from camp, I'm staying home the whole time! I love that. I will be working practically the whole time (housework, paperwork, yard work, BSS work), but that's okay. Actually, it's GREAT! I have so much to do. All progress will be thrilling! (I always remind myself that any progress is good because I can never get everything done.)

The past couple of weeks, I have been doing a lot of extra work for Bite-sized Scrapbooking in addition to my usual weekly tasks:

• I'm supplying a 6-month subscription as a prize for a contest at a major scrapbooking store in California, so I provided some information for their blog post.
• I'm writing a guest post for a popular scrapbooking website and I want to provide high-quality content, so I'm working very hard on that! When it goes live (which may be several weeks away), I will certainly share the link here (and everywhere!).
• I'm developing another Bite-sized Scrapbooking product. I've been working on this project a little every weekend for a couple months now. I'm not quite ready to share details, but I'm excited about it!
• I'm in the midst of finding and getting permission for the last 19 layouts of the first year of BSS. This is my third time doing a big search for layouts, spread over a couple of weekends each time. (In January, I lined up the first 17 layouts; in April, I secured the next 16 layouts, and this time, I need 19 to complete 52 weeks of BSS). From my efforts last weekend, I've received permission for 10 layouts, and I will spend several more hours this weekend trying to establish the last nine. I estimate it takes me about 90 minutes per layout when all is said and done (that doesn't include developing the content when the layout is scheduled). Sometimes I wonder if it would be easier to design my own layouts! But there are many more good things that come out of connecting with others in the online scrapbooking world. Plus, it's great for subscribers to get layouts from different designers, and my layouts would certainly not be as varied in design or products used.

Photos & tidbits from the week

Our Shasta daisies are lovely, but they were getting a bit unruly so I've trimmed them a little (after this picture).

On Tuesday, we celebrated Laurel's birthday with cake and ice cream out on our patio. It was very hot and humid outside.

The girls are enjoying their swimming lessons at the Lawson. Sophia's in level 5, Madeline in level 4, and Georgia in Sunfish.

Sophia and Bronwyn stayed overnight with their grandparents in Avonlea last night. I think they had plans to go golfing.

Madeline is looking forward to going to a "Luau" birthday party for her friend, Kaitlin, this afternoon.

The mint on our back step is thriving. Perfect for Mojitos! Neil makes them for me occasionally. Mmmm.

Our new double echinacea is just starting to bloom. I look forward to seeing the "double" part when it comes out.

PI 21/52: From the heart

This heart-shaped pumpkin leaf seems a fitting symbol for my love of taking pictures in the garden. And, below, shooting from the heart... a scene from my life with three wonderful daughters. I'm so blessed to have them!

Our calendar was quite clear this weekend (except for the Rider game on TV, which only affects Neil's time -- and mood*), which allowed us to tackle a number of jobs around the house and yard. Lots of check marks on the to-do list!

On Friday, I worked for several hours on Sophia and Madeline's room. This was Part 2 of The Big Clean. I decluttered, cleaned, and reorganized every surface (they're lucky to have numerous shelves). Unfortunately, I ended with a box full of various things that still require decisions. I didn't really want the girls' help in the cleaning phase, but I need them to decide (with some guidance) what to do with their property, and we ran out of time to do that together.

Meanwhile, Neil gave the van and truck a thorough cleaning on the insides. As usual, the van cleaning was long overdue and therefore, quite a big job. It is clean now, but still full of toys, books, and shoes that need to be donated. There's no place to keep these things in our house so they have to stay in the van until we get rid of them. I didn't mind having them there for a few weeks because I have been adding to the bags and boxes, but now they need to go ASAP.

Saturday morning, Neil and I prepared our back-alley driveway to receive slag from a friend and neighbour. (Slag is a by- product of the metal smelting process and it's a good material for driveways. We have a local source.) We had to move some crusher dust into the yard and clear patches of dead moss (luckily, Neil had already killed all the weeds back there). Thursday evening, I said to Neil, we need to get some slag for behind the garage. I guess the universe overheard and decided to arrange things for us: Friday afternoon, my friend Lisa called and asked if we wanted 3 or 4 yards of slag because she had ordered 7 yards and only needed about half (it was the same price for 7 yards or less). She only lives a couple houses down the alley, so on Saturday and Sunday morning, we hauled slag from her driveway to ours with a wheelbarrow. We haven't spread it out yet, but we think there's enough to cover the area. Since we still need to order crusher dust and clay, we left lots of space for those to be dumped. We worked on this project about five hours total. We managed to avoid the highest temps for this heavy labour, but it was already quite hot out by the time we finished each morning.

Also on Saturday and Sunday, I worked on and completed my monthly photo tasks for June. Thank goodness I had started selecting and editing photos last Monday and worked on it several times through the week. With Mosaic, Picture Color, and other events, June was a huge photo month. Plus, sifting through a couple hundred poorly-lit Irish dance photos is time-consuming and not very fun. I'm glad I didn't have to sit down for a long grueling session (as I was determined to get this done in time to get 9-cent prints at Costco!).

On the weekend, we ate out on the patio twice. We love eating outside! Saturday evening, as we finished supper about 7:30 pm, I just sat there on the patio for awhile because it was gorgeous outside: not a breath of wind, no mosquitoes, and the temperature was perfect for me (about 25C). Also in the fun department, Laurel and Bronwyn took Sophia to see the final Harry Potter movie on Friday afternoon (which she loved!), and I took the girls and their new friend, Zoe, to the spray pad on Sunday afternoon. Sunday night, Neil and I started watching the CreativeLIVE course, Food & Culture Photography with Penny De Los Santos. Love it!

*I was very proud of Neil for deciding not to listen to the post-game show after this terribly disappointing game (and this is significant because he ALWAYS listens to it). I think avoiding it really reduced the amount of dwelling on the loss.

Two weeks of summer fun

We've been having gorgeous weather. Summer is truly here! Just wanted to give a quick update on what the girls have been doing on their summer vacation so far. As of today, they've been out of school for two weeks, and

• they've gone to the spray pad a couple times
• Sophia went to a movie with Meghan one evening (Monte Carlo)
• they've attended PlayEscapes a few times (we have the planned activities on our bulletin board, so they know what they'll be doing when they go; they enjoy it!)
• Madeline went to Mattea's house one evening and they decorated white tank tops
• they've set up a sheet fort on the front lawn
• Sophia went to a movie with Cyandra one afternoon (Soul Surfer)
• all six of us went walking and riding on the bike path for over an hour one evening
• they've spent some time with their cousins, Bronwyn, Cole, and Rian
• Sophia went to Meghan's house for a sleepover
• they've pulled out the Perler Beads and made several cool creations (they're into making their own designs now rather than following the patterns)
• Madeline stayed overnight at Bronwyn's house
• they've signed up for the Summer Reading Program at the public library, and are eagerly colouring in a fish for each 15 minutes of reading
• they've set up the mesh/fabric tunnels on the lawn

So far, so good!

Birthdays and toys galore

I adore these petunias with the green edges. So cool. This one is growing in one of Laurel's beautiful planters. I've also seen them in some city-owned pots downtown.

After posting almost daily for a month, it was good to have a little break from blogging but I certainly don't want to miss recording some of the details of our weekend.

We spent Thursday evening at L&B's to celebrate our niece's 11th birthday. Neil had taken the girls over earlier in the afternoon and then he picked me up from work so we could go straight there. Shauna, Cole, and Rian had arrived from Edmonton earlier in the day, and Donna, Lou, Darren, Ali, Gabe, and Avery were there as well. We had a great dinner (bbq'd hamburgers, corn on the cob, etc) and birthday cake from Coldstone Creamery. We didn't get home until about 9:30 and I was exhausted, so I stayed in bed after reading to Madeline and Georgia.

I was up early on Friday, Canada Day. I worked on email and Bite-sized Scrapbooking stuff until after lunch and then weeded the garden for three hours in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Neil took the girls to a Rider practice (11:00 am) where they got a bunch of things autographed, and then to the park for Canada Day festivities in the afternoon. Laurel, Bronwyn, Shauna, Cole, and Rian also did those things with them. Around 5:30 pm, we picked up Donna from the Pasqua hospital where Grandma Louise is recovering from surgery, and we went to L&B's house for our nephew's 7th birthday celebration. We had Houston Pizza for supper and a delicious "zebra" cake which Shauna made and decorated with white icing and red fondont maple leafs. After supper, Sophia went to a movie with her friend Meghan, while we stayed at L&B's until almost 9 pm. Once again, that was the end of the day for me. I don't know why, but I can't seem to stay up late any more! I guess I'm working harder these days.

On Saturday, I got up at 6:00 am and did a little more BSS work. I really don't mind getting up early on weekends. For awhile on Saturday morning, I appreciated the complete silence of the house. Not even the A/C was running. :) When Madeline got up, she and I (with coffee in hand) enjoyed a stroll around our garden on a gorgeous sunny morning. I loved chatting with Madeline as we looked at the plants and flowers. I love to hear her perspective on things.

Before too long, I went to work cleaning the living room and dining room floors while Neil hauled all of the toys out to the front lawn, placing them on top of old sheets. Once everything was out and the floors cleared, Madeline and I took a little break to pick up bread and treats at Orange Boot Bakery (I was after the Rhubarb & Walnut muffins in particular). At 1:00 pm, Neil took the girls to go swimming with their cousins at the Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre. Meanwhile, I sorted toys for about six hours straight (with Neil's help for some of those hours). Can you believe that? I didn't think it would take that long -- and was frustrated that it did -- but at least it was a gorgeous day outside. And it is great to have this done but I know there are more toys lurking in our house somewhere. There are a few obvious things missing from sets and games. That drives me nuts!

Neil made an awesome supper (bison tenderloin steak, perfect potatoes/carrots/onions, corn on the cob) and we ate out on the patio for the first time this year. And then I had to take the girls to 7-11 for 5-cent candies because I had promised. Ugggh. What was I thinking? Oh yeah, that they were supposed to help me with the toy sorting -- and they did, but less than I was hoping due to the swimming excursion and playing with their new friend, Zoe, from two doors down. After that, we hauled all of the toys into the house.

Sunday was another gruelling day of working with the toys. This time indoors, we went through every container deciding what toys to give away (all but one miscellaneous box as we ran out of time). The girls did pretty well. We collected another large box full of toys and dress-up clothes, 30 small stuffed animals (unfortunately, very little relative to the remaining stuffies: I cannot get them to part with Webkinz!), and a bag of play dough paraphernalia (we kept the best tools and cookie cutters) to give away. Also on Sunday, Neil and the girls took Dash for a play date, we took Neil to the Rider game, and the girls played with Zoe for 90 minutes before supper. When we finished going through the stuffed animals in the evening, which was quite challenging, I rewarded the girls: for each stuffie they gave away, they received 25 cents toward DQ treats. They ended up with $7.50 total, so we went to the new DQ at 8:00 pm and they each enjoyed a small sundae. We also picked up Neil, just two blocks from our house, on his way home from the football game (he often walks home; it takes about 40 minutes). It was another LONG day -- with an extremely messy kitchen at the end of it.

After all of this toy business, I now have good solid inventory of the things we're hanging onto (for now), and have divided them into these categories: (1) All-season, (2) Summer (Jun-Sep), (3) Fall/Winter (Oct-Jan), and (4) Winter/Spring (Feb-May). This week, we'll be be putting away categories 3 and 4, totally out-of-sight and inaccessible to the kids. My hope is that we'll be able to keep the girls' rooms and our living spaces tidier on an ongoing basis. It's got to help, right?!

Sunrise sunset

A prairie sunset as thunderstorms brewed just south of here. I had to drive out of the city and wait awhile, but this colour was worth it! Taken this evening at 9:28 pm. I decided to post the following picture, too, just because I like how it turned out. Taken just six minutes before my other shot. I wonder if this photo would be better without the airplane, though.

Watching for whimsy

We took Sophia and Madeline to the Camp Monahan open house this afternoon and spotted this pink grain-elevator-shaped birdhouse on the way there. I thought it was pretty whimsical -- especially the colour.

We had quite a big day with three things on the calendar: an open house at Camp Monahan (because Sophia and Madeline are going to mini camp this summer), a birthday party for Georgia to attend, and a family potluck dinner in Avonlea. Since the first two conflicted and Georgia really wanted to go to the birthday party (a bowling party for a friend from preschool), I arranged for her to go to a friend's house (the boy for whom Neil provides childcare) who was also invited to the birthday party. They picked her up at 10 a.m.

A little later, the rest of us (minus Dash) drove out to Camp Monahan at Katepwa Lake, arriving at 12:30 pm. It was a lovely day for the drive out there and for the open house: sunny and warm (but not hot), and breezy enough to keep the mosquitoes away. We immediately ate lunch (hotdogs, donuts, and iced tea were provided) as we were all very hungry. We sat at a picnic table near the shore and the girls ate quickly as they were focused on exploring the lake. They were so excited about the possibility of going in a canoe, they wouldn't look at anything else, so I asked a camp staff member about it and she immediately offered to take the girls out on the lake. Sophia and Madeline had never been in a canoe before and they were totally delighted!

Not long after they returned from canoeing, we all put on life jackets and boarded one of the two motorized boats they had running from the pier. We all enjoyed the ride along the shoreline which lasted about 10 or 15 minutes. We don't have many opportunities for boat rides and don't feel the need to do this often, but the occasional boat ride is very fun -- especially in beautiful weather!

Soon after that, it was time for everyone to gather for a tour of the camp. Sophia and Madeline were always at the front of the group, close to the camp staff who were giving the tour. It was great to see where the girls will sleep and where the different activities take place, and hear from several of the staff and counsellors. They had camp trivia questions along the way and Sophia and Madeline each won a camp song book. (It was really perfect to get two of these books! The girls sang a bunch of songs in the van later in the day.)

After the tour, everyone sat around the campfire seating area where the camp staff entertained us with several songs and actions. They were very enthusiastic and animated, and I was impressed with how completely comfortable they appeared as they performed. The girls really enjoyed the tour and the songs, and they're very excited to go to camp in a few weeks. They learned that they'll get to swim for two hours a day (in the pool), go canoeing for an hour a day (if they want), make cool crafts, play games, and eat five times a day (three meals and two snacks). On the way home, Sophia said she wants to live there--but she would prefer to eat 6 times a day. :)

Back in Regina, we stopped briefly at Candy Cane park because it's the first thing I thought of for today's Picture Color prompt, but then I found the striped sculptures to be a bit less whimsical (and much less photogenic) in their new locations (outside the play area and separated). Good thing we had stopped for a picture of the pink birdhouse earlier! (It was close to Camp Monahan, and I was lucky to get some blue sky in the shot as dark clouds were rolling in.) We picked up Georgia from Henry's house, then Dash from our house, and headed out to Avonlea for supper. Neil's mom had planned the potluck because Aunt Dorothy and Debbie were visiting from Calgary and it was the only opportunity for many of us to see them. We had a delicious meal and enjoyed the visit with everyone. Shortly before going home, the girls had a great time using their makeup kits (which live at Grandma's house exclusively) to become zombies (Madeline and Georgia) and an alien (Sophia). They were so funny! We didn't leave Avonlea until after 9:00 pm, so it was a late night for the girls (they don't sleep in the van any more) and a long day for all.